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Cat and mouse game

Descriptionn
chat.AllAll the youngsters (mice) have a map, with the locations of the “houses”, where the cat can’t touch them. Each “house” is marked with a control without a number.
A cat is named. At the start of the game, the coach indicates the number of the house (6) for example. To avoid being touched by the cat, the “mice” must go to control 6. If a mouse is touched, it becomes the cat. The coach changes the house number regularly.

Alternative
Don’t put any controls

Once all the “house numbers” have been named by the coach, maps can be taken away from the mice, only the cat is allowed to keep it. This way you can see what has been memorised.

Comment 
Nice to get warm, when it is cold

Contributor
Nathalie Rauturier

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Snatch the bacon

Description
béretThis is a variant of the “Snatch the bacon” game.

Let’s say you have 12 players. Make 6 teams of two. In each team you have one player A and one player B.
Print a very large scale map (1000th) with 12 controls.
At each control, you put between 1 and 6 cones of the same colour. Be careful to put different coloured markers on the controls that are closed to each other.
The maps are placed 5 meters in front of the teams, which are  inline.

You call out a player (A or B), a number written on the map (from 1 to 12) and you specify the colour of the cone (if you don’t want them all to bring you the wrong cone).
The players go near the maps to memorise the location of the control you have just announced. They don’t know if there is 1 or 2 or 6 cones placed at that point. They will soon all run, not necessarily in the right direction ;).
When the players get to the cones, they take one and go back to the start. First come, first served, until all the cones are taken. Unlike the real game of beret, only the “snatching the bacon” is important, to add value to map reading.
Then you then call the other players, another number (and therefore another colour of cones).
Once the 12 numbers have been called, each team counts the number of cones they had. The team with the greatest number of cones wins.

Alternative
You can replace the cones with cards numbered from 1 to 12. Then the players can check that they are at the right place.  
You can put chocolate for easter time.
You can make the controls more complicated to find, depending on the players you have.

Comment
Remember to note the correspondence between the colour of the cones and the numbers on the map before playing.
This variant of the “Snatch teh bacon” game is very dynamic and is pleasing all, young and old, beginner and experienced runners.
It also ensures that no one is in complete failure. No player will have 0 points at the end.

Be careful, with experienced adults, to give the rules of safe behaviour : shoulder strokes to destabilise the competitor when approaching the cone are forbidden for example!

Contributor
Nathalie Rauturier

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Tag party

Description
EpervierYou designate a “Tag Man” called “Sparrowhawk” in french, the others are called players.
Everyone has a map, with controls to punch.
At the start, the players set off towards the finish. They have to punch any 5 markers without being touched by the sparrowhawk. The sparrowhawk leaves 5 minutes after the group and must try to hit as many players as possible. Once touched, the player becomes another sparrowhawk.
The sparrowhawk wins if he has hit half of the players.
In order to be able to recognise which players have been hit or not, the players can be given a bandana. As soon as they are hit by the sparrowhawk, they take off their bandana.

Alternative
Many variations can be found:

  • number of sparrowhawks at the start
  • time between the departure of the group and  the sparrowhawk
  • number of controls to be punched before taking refuge at the finish

Comment
This exercise requires participants to remain focused on map reading, while making sure not to be hit by the sparrowhawk.

Contributor
Nathalie Rauturier

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Labyrinth map

DescriptionLabyrinth'O chp garnier.Labyrinth'O
It is an exercise similar to the corridor one. The purpose is to complete the course without ever passing through the white zones. 
You need to be accurate with your compass and to keep contact with the map nearly all the time.

Alternative
You can have wider zones or smaller

Comment 
This exercice is for expert orienteers!

Contributor
Antoine Stéphany et Nathalie Rauturier

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Battleship

Description
BATAILLE NAVALE 1.bataille naavle 3In each box, a control is indicated. You have to find the squares, where the control is “there” and in the right place. All the squares whith real controls form “boats”. In this example, people had to find a boat of 4 (cruiser), 2 boats of 3 (submarine), a boat of 2 (torpedo boat), with only one rule “the boats can touch each other only by a corner”.
If you find a control in A1 and B1, then you know that there is no control in A2 and B2.

The target of this exercise is to do precise map reading, in a playful way

Alternative
You can use other rules for the boats, change the number of boats to find …

Comment
Not suitable for beginners, for whom the concept of real or missing is complicated. It requires confidence.
Beware, also, Battleship is not a game known by the new generations

Contributor
Nathalie Rauturier